Today, HMD unveiled its newest own-brand smartphone called Skyline. This phone runs on a mid-range Snapdragon 7s Gen2 CPU, and it offers up to 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. It has 15W Qi2 wireless charging and its 4600mAh battery lasts “up to 48 hours.” The screen is a 6.55-inch full HD+ panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and up to 1,000 nits of brightness. Pick either pink (maybe they had leftovers from the Barbie collab) or black for your phone's color. Skyline phones will be available starting in August and will cost $499.
The spotlight feature for Skyline is ease of repairability. This has been a focus for recent projects from HMD, which also makes phones under the Nokia brand. The back cover of this phone model can be removed, allowing for a user or a third-party shop to replace a broken screen, a worn-out battery, or a bent charging port. Replacement parts are available in select markets from iFixit, which said Skyline will have almost the repairability levels of the Fairphone. Right to repair movements gained a lot of traction last year, with even holdout device manufacturers starting to change their tune. It's positive to see HMD not just offering an option to self-repair, but making it easy to do so.
HMD (modified)
Skyline is also equipped with some notable photo features. The 50 megapixel front camera offers autofocus and eye-tracking. It also has "selfie gesture" hardware that will snap a photo in response to one of four common hand gestures. The rear camera is 108MP, and it has both portrait and night modes to capture the right image for the moment.
As more people want the option to unplug from the always-on lifestyle, Skyline will offer a Detox mode. This feature lets users select specific apps and contacts to block during scheduled breaks. It can be useful for people who find themselves spending more time than they want on social media or games, or for those who need to draw strong lines for work-life balance.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-hmd-skyline-is-a-mid-range-smartphone-thats-all-about-repairability-070035654.html?src=rss
Microsoft has officially released its Designer platform for AI image generation. After a long preview phase, Designer is now available to most people with a Microsoft account. Designer can be used on the web in more than 80 languages, as a mobile app for iOS and Android, and as a Windows app. You can create a brand new visual from the ground up with AI, or use Designer to edit and tweak a picture you've already made. There are plenty of templates available to guide the creation of common image types, like a greeting card, smartphone wallpaper or a profile avatar. More experienced artists can also build everything from scratch, developing their own templates and using their own art.
While Designer can be used on its own, Microsoft is promoting its integration with the company’s other services. Thanks to the company's Copilot AI chatbot, Designer images can be easily linked up to Microsoft Word and PowerPoint projects. Of course, taking full advantage of that will require a Copilot Pro subscription.
If you've used Canva, then Designer will feel very familiar. The service takes a very similar approach to its user experience and now also has some AI options. According to details from when Microsoft first announced the app back in 2022, Designer is integrated with OpenAI's image generator DALL-E. Copilot already has DALL-E 3 integration, as well as ChatGPT 4 Turbo, so it makes sense that Designer will sync up with those existing services.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-releases-ios-and-android-apps-for-designer-its-ai-powered-canva-competitor-203028855.html?src=rss
The tinyPod is a case for your Apple Watch, which probably doesn’t sound too exciting on its own. However, its unique angle — a click wheel that controls the watch’s Digital Crown — makes Apple’s wearable look and feel (at least in its marketing) like the company’s first breakthrough product of the 21st century: the iPod. Although you can use it as a music player, it also works with everything else in watchOS, transforming Apple’s smartwatch into a minimalist, distraction-free “phone.”
The $80 tinyPod works with Apple Watch models in Series 4 through 9, along with the Apple Watch SE. (The 41/40mm and 45/44mm Apple Watches have separate tinyPods.) Meanwhile, another 49mm version for the Apple Watch Ultra — because who wouldn’t want to turn their $800 wearable into a minimalist phone? — costs $90. There’s also tinyPod lite, a $30 case sans click wheel.
That click wheel is its core gimmick, and its creator apparently believes it will be safe from Apple’s lawyers. (The fact that it relies on an Apple product probably doesn’t hurt.) The case’s wheel syncs its movement with the Apple Watch’s Digital Crown via “carefully mechanized components inside” that make “direct rotation contact with your Apple Watch crown.” In other words, anywhere on watchOS that lets you scroll with the crown will be scrollable with the tinyPod click wheel. In theory, anyway.
Newar / tinyPod
The tinyPod website says it can support multi-day battery life by turning off the watch’s wrist detection (which you don’t need here). But living up to that may be a tall order, given how short the battery life of cellular Apple Watches tends to be when used without a phone in Bluetooth range. Of course, you could use a GPS-only model (or turn off cellular) and stick to locally stored music, but that would also limit what it can do.
tinyPod is the product of Newar, a former Snap designer and one-time jailbreak guru. In May, the creator posted that it began as a side project before being transformed into “a real, shipping product for one reason: Whenever I left the house with it, I loved how I felt.”
Whether the tinyPod lives up to its billing as a minimalist, distraction-free and nostalgia-laden “phone” or not, its creator appears to have put significant thought into aesthetics, clarity of purpose and consistency in marketing. Its website demonstrates an eye for detail that relishes in its iPod inspiration, including era-appropriate Apple fonts and a teaser video in a classic 4:3 aspect ratio. (Cue silhouettes dancing to Gorillaz.)
The tinyPod is available for pre-order ahead of shipments “this summer.” You can reserve one today at the product website.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-tinypod-transforms-your-old-apple-watch-into-an-ipod-like-minimalist-phone-201713024.html?src=rss
The Amazon Prime Day sale ends tonight, but don't think that all opportunities to save have come and gone. In typical Amazon fashion, most of the best Prime Day deals on day one of the sale remain the best offers now on day two — if they didn't sell out already, that is.
Thankfully, many of the best tech deals we curated yesterday are still around today. If you didn't get the chance to shop yesterday, Engadget has you covered. We've collected the best Prime Day deals you can still get right now before the shopping event is over tonight. We expect a few Prime Day deals to still be available tomorrow — there are always a few stragglers — but most of them will expire at today at midnight.
If you're looking for even more Prime Day deals that are still available, check out Engadget's Prime Day hub where you'll find all of the best tech deals you can get for the shopping event this year. In addition to Amazon devices, Prime Day is typically a great time to pick up big-ticket items like tablets, laptops and robot vacuums, and accessories like power banks, streaming devices, Bluetooth speakers and the like.
Apple Watch Series 9 for $280, $120 off: We consider the Series 9 to be the best smartwatch available today, period, and it's a no-brainer accessory for iPhone owners. If you want to spend less and get most of the code features found here, you should consider the more affordable Apple Watch SE.
Apple AirTag for $24, $4 off: We think these are the best Bluetooth trackers you can buy if you’re an iPhone user. They rely on Apple’s vast Find My network that calls on every nearby iPhone to anonymously pinpoint an AirTag’s location. We found their locating features to be eerily accurate. The price has gone up and down over the past 48 hours, but you may still be able to get a four-pack of AirTags for a record low of $75, too.
Apple 10th-gen iPad for $299, $50 off: This is the best iPad for those on a budget thanks to its modern design, USB-C charging, solid battery life and solid performance for the price. It’s even compatible with an optional folio keyboard if you want to turn it into a productivity machine.
Apple AirPods Pro for $169, $80 off: The Pros are the best pair of wireless earbuds that Apple sells and one of our top picks overall. They'll be hard to beat if you live in the Apple ecosystem and appreciate the conveniences provided by the built-in H1 chip.
AirPods Max for $395, $155 off: We gave this pair a review score of 84 when it arrived way back in December 2020. Despite its age, the Max remains one of the more premium sets of wireless headphones you can buy.
Apple MacBook Air (M3, 13-inch) for $850, $250 off: Apple's 2024 MacBook Air has a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Display that can support one billion different colors. We gave it a 90 in our review thanks to offers like a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, three mics and up to 18 hours of battery life.
Apple MacBook Air (M2, 13-inch) for $799, $200 off: If you're coming from an older, Intel-based MacBook, any M-series machine will feel like a big upgrade. This M2 laptop excels thanks to its stellar performance, excellent screen and thin-and-light design.
Engadget
Google Pixel 8a for $449, $50 off: This is our top pick for the best midrange smartphone you can get right now, as it builds off of the solid foundation found in Google’s Pixel 7a. The 8a boasts a colorful 120Hz OLED touchscreen, excellent cameras, solid performance and a good battery life.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra for $975, $325 off: This handset is probably overkill for most users, but nevertheless, it’s our top pick for the best premium handset in our best Android phones guide. It stands out for its luxe build quality, speedy performance, excellent cameras and handy new AI tools.
Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 (four-pack) for $65, $35: Samsung’s tracking tags are extremely reliable and easy to use, and both are reasons why they made our list of the best Bluetooth trackers. This is obviously the best choice for those already tied into the Galaxy ecosystem, but note that they only work with Samsung devices.
Anker MagGo Power Bank 10K for $63, $27 off: Anker's MagGo Power Bank was one of the earliest Qi2-certified devices on the market, and this early 2024 model is impressive, to say the least. The 10,000mAh and 15W capacities provide you with fast wireless charging. The power bank can bring an iPhone 15 from near-dead to half-charged in just 45 minutes.
Anker Nano iPhone 15 Portable Charger for $17, $13 off: This 5K power bank has a flip-out USB-C connector that makes it easy to power up Android phones (and the latest iPhones) while on the go. For those who feel more secure with a plugged-in charger rather than a magnetic or wireless one, this power bank is a good option.
Sonos Era 100 for $199, $50 off: In our testing, this speaker impressed with excellent sound quality (along with even better stereo-pair sound), easier TruePlay tuning, Bluetooth and in-line support and a simple yet attractive design. It's on our list of the best smart speakers you can get thanks to its Alexa compatibility and it's ability to work with Sonos' own voice assistant
Dyson / Engadget
Dyson Airwrap bundle for $550, $125 off: In addition to the Airwrap and its storage case, the bundle includes six attachments: two long barrels, three brushes and the Coanda smoothing dryer, plus a filter cleaning brush, a detangling comb and another storage bag. That's enough to achieve a bunch of different hairstyles with one tool, and you get a couple of ways to store the machine when you're not using it or when you need to travel with it.
Theragun Mini 2.0 for $149, $50 off: The runners on the Engadget staff appreciate this percussion massage gun for its compact size, three speeds and swappable attachments.
Fitbit Charge 6 for $100, $60 off: The Charge 6 sits at the top of our list of the best fitness trackers you can get precisely because it has such a comprehensive feature set. It also has a seven-day battery life, so you won't have to worry about recharging it for days on end.
iRobot Roomba Combo Essentials for $190, $85 off: This model ups the ante a bit by adding in mopping capabilities to the usual robot-vacuum formula. It’s the most affordable vac-and-mop machine that iRobot makes, and it’s an even better buy at this sale price.
Shark AI Ultra robot vacuum for $295, $305 off: A version of one of our top picks for the best robot vacuums, it supports cleaning schedules and home mapping, plus it comes with a self-emptying base that can hold up to 60 days worth of debris. The base is also bagless, so you don't have to buy and replace proprietary garbage bags in it over time.
Google Nest Cam Indoor/Outdoor (two pack) for $250, $80 off: These cams are battery-powered, so you don't have to worry about cables and you can place them almost anywhere you want inside or outside your home. They support 1080p HDR video and Activity Zones, the latter of which will send you alerts when motion is detected in specific areas.
Sony WH-1000XM5 for $298, $102 off: These are our top pick for the best headphones on the market today — it doesn't get much better than the XM5. If you're on a tight budget and still want the core features in these cans, consider the previous version, the Sony WH-1000XM4.
Beats Fit Pro for $150, $50 off: These are our top picks for the best headphones for running thanks to their comfortable, IPX4 design, great sound quality with adaptive EQ, good ANC and transparency mode and solid battery life.
Google Pixel Buds Pro for $120, $80 off: The Pixel Buds Pro made our list of the best wireless earbuds for a number of reasons. First and foremost, we love the sound. These earbuds offer deep and punchy bass, which is a rarity with this class of device. They also have decent ANC, reliable touch controls and wireless charging.
Sony WF-1000XM5 for $228, $72 off: The XM5 earbuds stand out thanks to their improved design, good sound quality, impressive ANC and special features like adaptive sound and Speak to Chat. These are the best true wireless earbuds to get at the moment.
Samsung The Frame TV with white bezel for $998, $648 off: You’d mainly get a Frame TV for theaesthetic, as the whole thing is designed to mount flush against a wall and hang like a piece of art. You can even use it to display actual artwork and photos when you aren’t watching something. Its image quality is still decent as well, though it’s not on the level of the best LED TVs in this price range.
LG C3 OLED TV for $1,097, $200 off: This is a 2023 model, but at this price it’s a nice value if you want the deep contrast, wide viewing angles and fast motion response of a quality OLED panel.
Roku Streaming Stick 4K for $29, $21 off: One of the best streaming devices available today, this model supports 4K HDR content, long-range Wi-Fi, Apple AirPlay and private listening through the companion mobile app.
Sonos Ray for $199, $80 off: In our testing, this soundbar provided good sound quality for both TV audio and music, impressive bass performance for a soundbar of its size and an attractive, compact design.
Amazon
Amazon Echo Show 8 for $85, $65 off: The smart display has dropped to $85 for Prime Day. This is our current top pick for the best smart display with Amazon’s Alexa thanks in part to its 8-inch touchscreen, 13MP camera that supports auto-framing for better video chats and its built-in Zigbee smart home hub.
Amazon Echo Dot for $25, $25 off: Amazon’s smallest smart speaker has dropped to $25 for Prime Day. It’s one of the best smart speakers you can get right now thanks to its compact design, physical button controls that compliment voice commands and its solid sound quality for its size. The Kids version is also on sale for $28 for this sale.
Amazon Kindle for $85, $15 off: The base Kindle is on sale for $85 for Prime Day. It’s our top pick for the best budget ereader out there, and it’s an even better value when you can snag it on discount. In addition to giving you access to Amazon’s vast Kindle ebook library, the entry-level Kindle has a good number of page customization options (for text size, font, margins, etc) and Audible integration, which lets you listen to Audible audiobooks if you have a pair of Bluetooth headphones.
Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/shop-the-best-amazon-prime-day-tech-deals-before-the-sale-ends-at-midnight--top-picks-from-apple-anker-dyson-and-more-185535856.html?src=rss
Update, July 18: Amazon has dropped the $50 on-screen coupon for this product since Prime Day ended, but it's still considerably cheaper there versus shopping at the Apple Store and elsewhere.
Next to Black Friday, Prime Day is a great time to buy hardware from Amazon and Apple. On the latter brand, we’re seeing some of the best prices to date for the latest models of iPads, AirPods and AirTags, to name a few. And if you’re in the market for a new laptop, it’s also a great time to buy a MacBook, with prices starting at a record low $849 for the latest MacBook Air. It's currently Engadget's top pick on our best laptop list.
Here’s why: They get you in the door for that sub-$1,000 price, which is an enticing $250 less than you’d spend at the Apple Store. But Apple is notoriously stingy on memory and storage for its devices: The baseline model only has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB drive. That’s fine if you’re only using your laptop for the basics – say, social media, streaming video and light document creation. But even with cloud storage, that SSD will fill up very quickly with photos, audio and video if you’re doing anything creative. (Yes, you can get external USB drives, but they're slower and ruin the lines of Apple’s sleek laptop.) And while Apple does a great job of managing software resources on the Mac, that 8GB of memory feels like a low ceiling.
So here’s what I did when Amazon ran a version of this same deal a few months ago: I paid to double both specs. For $1,249 (after clipping that same $50 on-screen coupon), you get 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Yes, a terabyte or more would be even better, but you pick your battles. And this configuration still saves you a cool $250 off the Apple Store price for the same configuration, while being a lot more future-proofed. For instance, if you’re laptop shopping for a high school or college student, this stepped-up model will survive a 4-year academic stint with more comfort than that $849 version.
If that’s still too steep, you can split the difference with the 512GB MacBook Air M2. It doesn’t have the extra RAM, but the otherwise identical slightly older model still gets you a very capable, modern Apple laptop with decent storage for just $999. But don’t wait: these laptop deals end today, and we don’t know if we’ll be seeing them again before Black Friday.
Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-prime-day-macbook-air-deal-is-already-great-but-spending-more-makes-it-an-even-better-value-154304978.html?src=rss
Amazon Prime Day deals continue today during the second day of the sale, and our Engadget readers have not slept on any of the best tech discounts this year. While our staff can usually anticipate which items will be most popular with our readers during sales like this (looking at you, Apple gear), there are always a few things that surprise us.
Below, we've gathered all of the gadgets our readers have bought in droves so far for Amazon Prime Day 2024 — there are the usual suspects here, as well as a few unlikely additions. If you're even remotely interested in picking up some of the best tech deals for Prime Day while you still can, this is a good place to start.
Unsurprisingly, Engadget readers can spot a good deal on AirPods a mile away. The latest AirPods Pro can still be found at a $169 sale price, which matches the best price we've seen. These remain the best wireless earbuds for iPhone users and anyone who lives within the Apple ecosystem, but in general, they also provide excellent active noise cancellation (ANC), equally good transparency mode and a great sound profile.
Their biggest drawbacks are the lack of customization when compared to other buds on a similar caliber, and they have just a decent five- to six-hour battery life on a single charge. Speaking of the latter, this model on sale comes with the USB-C charging case that's also MagSafe compatible, so you can power them up using wireless charging pads and stands.
This vacuum-mop hybrid Roomba was new as of April 2024 and it's now discounted to $190 for Prime Day. iRobot claims the Roomba Combo Essential outperforms the Roomba 600 Series and has 20 times more suction power, and for this model in particular, it has a longer battery life as well — up to 120 minutes of run time per cleaning job.
As with all of iRobot's cleaning machines, the Combo Essential works with the company's mobile app to let you set cleaning schedules and check on the machine's status as it's puttering around your home. It'll automatically return to its base when it needs a recharge as well, but note that it doesn't come with a self-emptying base like some more expensive models do.
The Apple AirTag is our pick for a Bluetooth tracker for iPhone users — you can grab one for $24 for Prime Day, or a four-pack for between $75 and $89 (annoyingly, the price has not been consistent over the past 48 hours).
These small disks tap into Apple’s vast Find My network to track down missing items, calling on nearby iPhones to anonymously ping and triangulate the position. That makes them a great option to keep track of luggage on your next trip, or even just your everyday backpack or handbag. Just know that, if you want to attach one to your keys, you'll have to buy an AirTag case or holder to do so.
In a somewhat surprisingly move, there are a handful of good Lego Prime Day deals to check out this year. Our readers have been partial to this Star Wars Luke Skywalker's X-Wing Fighter, which is down to $35 from its list price of $50. This Lego kit, which is recommended for builders aged nine and above, has 474 pieces so it should keep you and/or (pun not intended) your kids busy for a while.
The X-Wing has a retractable landing gear and a pair of spring-loaded shooters. You can convert the wings to attack position with the press of a button. The kit also comes with Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and General Dodonna minifigures that you can place in the cockpit, while R2-D2 has his very own spot on board.
Anker's MagGo Power Bank was one of the earliest Qi2-certified devices on the market, and now it's on sale for only $63. It has a 10,000mAh capacity, and its 15W capacities provide fast wireless charging. It's on our list of the best power banks thanks in part to the fact that it brought an iPhone 15 from near-dead to half-charged in just 45 minutes — a feat some of our other top contenders have taken twice as long to do. If you're looking for a portable yet versatile power source for your iPhone, this is a great option.
This Anker GaNPrime 150W USB-C charger is nearly half off for Prime Day and down to $60. Engadget readers likely have a ton of tech they need to keep charged all the time, and this brick lets them do that pretty easily, regardless of what devices they happen to be. It has three USB-C ports and one USB-A connector, and its max 150W of power output means it can refuel larger items like laptops as well as smaller things like wireless earbuds with no problem. Plus, the ability to plug in four devices simultaneous for a power-up can be a game-changer when you're traveling or working on-location.
The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is Amazon's most capable portable streaming device and you can grab one for only $35 for Prime Day. Just plug it into your TV's HDMI port (or any TV while on vacation), and you'll instantly have access to all of your favorite streaming apps, like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon's own Prime Video.
This model supports fast Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, and in addition to its 4K resolution, it offers Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HLG to make your shows and films look their best. It's just one of many Fire TV devices on sale for Prime Day, with the most affordable being the Fire TV Stick Lite for $15.
Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-prime-day-is-still-going-strong-and-this-is-what-our-tech-obsessed-readers-have-bought-so-far-153459702.html?src=rss
Amazon Prime Day has been dropping hot deals all week and things don’t seem to be slowing down. One of today’s best deals is for a four-pack of Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 trackers, which are down to $65. That’s a record-low price and a discount of $35. You get two black trackers and two white trackers, so they can sub in during a game of backgammon. We tested and reviewed this product so we know these tags are the real deal.
Samsung’s tracking tags are extremely reliable and easy to use, and both are reasons why they made our list of the best Bluetooth trackers. This is obviously the best choice for those already tied into the Galaxy ecosystem, but they only work with Samsung devices. This could be a dealbreaker for some.
We loved the large finding network and the attractive design. These things are downright cute. The design also features a large hole near the top which makes it easy to attach keys, cables, luggage or even bicycle components. The affiliated app features an intuitive interface that makes it easy to track down lost objects.
I already mentioned the biggest downside. This product only works with Samsung phones and tablets. This is in reference to the app and finder network. You can pop the tags on anything and let them do their thing. Each tag does include an NFC code that pulls up contact info and a custom message, if someone with an iPhone happens to find one laying about.
Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-amazon-prime-day-deal-on-a-four-pack-of-samsung-galaxy-smarttag2-trackers-has-the-best-price-weve-seen-142513645.html?src=rss
DJI has introduced a new video transmission device that will allow creators to control cameras and gimbals and view video from up to 1.8 miles away. Called DJI SDR Transmission (SDR stands for "software defined radio"), it's designed for use in "complex environments" and is targeting small- to medium-sized film crews.
The system consists of transmitter and receiver (each weighing 5.1 ounces), sold separately or in a combo. You can also purchase a phone or tablet holder kit, along with an RX to phone connection cable.
On monitors (which can be dedicated Atomos-type systems, iPhones or tablets), filmmakers will see a 1080p/60fps live feed with a 20Mbps bitrate and latency as low as 35 milliseconds. Video can be transmitted up to three kilometers (1.8 miles) and remain stable in obstacle-laden environments thanks to "superior penetration capabilities," DJI said.
DJI
DJI SDR Transmission can output three SDR signals and two Wi-Fi signals at once. In broadcast mode, it can connect to unlimited receivers for multiple users. Users can connect to monitors via SDI/HDMI and smartphones/tablets via USB-C or Wi-Fi. "The Wi-Fi option allows for a cost-effective, dual-channel monitoring experience without another receiver," according to DJI.
Along with monitoring, the system allows for remote control of cameras and gimbals. That enables features like virtual joystick and gimbal recentering, along with DJI's Force Mobile function that lets you control a gimbal by tiling and rotating your smartphone. It supports PTP (USB-C) camera control for supported devices, along with CEC for Sony Cameras that gives you all the camera's controls on a remote screen.
DJI
The new product is not unlike DJI's Transmission system, which transmits 1080 60p video over 20km (12.4 miles) but costs $2,500. It appears to be part of DJI's effort to diversify away from drones in the face of a possible US ban. DJI is likely to get even more deeply into the camera market if that happens, given the success of the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 and other products.
The DJI SDR Transmission system is now available in the US, Europe and elsewhere priced at $549 for the combo, or $309 for the transmitter or receiver sold separately. The phone and tablet holders are $49 each, while the RX to phone connection cable is $10.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/djis-latest-gadget-lets-you-control-cameras-and-view-video-remotely-130049291.html?src=rss
Some of the world’s largest tech companies trained their AI models on datasets that included transcripts of more than 173,000 YouTube videos without permission. That’s according to an investigation from Proof News, which laid out how Apple, NVIDIA and Anthropic, among other companies, used transcripts of YouTube videos from more than 48,000 channels. This goes against YouTube’s own platform rules, which Google execs have repeatedly mentioned.
Earlier this month, Apple was criticized for failing to reveal the source of training data for Apple Intelligence, the company’s own spin on generative AI.
Not only have these AI models been trained on some of your favorite YouTube stars, like Marques Brownlee and MrBeast, but also Engadget’s own Cherlynn Low. (I love you, Cher.)
Intrigued by what else may be part of that dataset? Head over to the Proof Newslookup tool.
To the surprise of many, Beats has re-entered the crowded market of Bluetooth speakers with a redesigned Pill ($150). Taking more aesthetic cues from its older models, it’s the Pill speaker you know and love(d), but upgraded for 2024. Better sound, lossless audio over USB-C and doubled battery life make this an impressive return.
Take a look at the unannounced Pixel 9 Pro Fold, from almost every conceivable angle. Android Authority spotted the photos at Taiwan’s National Communications Commission (NCC) archives and uploaded galleries of each of the four phones, including the Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL and 9 Pro Fold. For the foldable, Google has moved the selfie camera to the inside screen for a wider field of view. The 9 Pro Fold also has slimmer bezels and a seemingly reduced fold crease.
This year’s Prime Day came with a surprising number of discounts for Apple products, the usual barrage of headphones, Amazon hardware and a 4K TV or two. While the official sale wraps up, there’s still time (and stock?) for some of these deals. The Engadget editorial team have teased out the best sale items worth your money.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-ai-models-from-apple-nvidia-and-more-were-reportedly-trained-on-youtube-videos-111542441.html?src=rss
Canon has unveiled its most important camera in years — the EOS R1 mirrorless. Launched alongside the 45-megapixel R5 II, it’s the company's new flagship designed to replace the 1DX Mark III DSLR and help Canon maintain its leadership in the pro sports photography field.
The R1 is all about speed, with the stacked sensor allowing 40 fps RAW bursts with continuous autofocus. Other features are designed to help nail crucial shots, including pre-capture, eye-tracking AF and sports-specific settings. At the same time, it should be great for video, thanks to its support for 6K RAW capture.
One potential downside is the 24-megapixel resolution, which is lower than rivals like Sony’s A1 and the Nikon Z9. To see how that affected image quality and gather some impressions on performance and new features, I was able to get a short amount of hands-on time with the R1 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Though massive for a mirrorless camera, the R1 is lighter than it looks — it only weighs 2.12 pounds. The magnesium alloy body is dust- and water-resistant and the large, comfortable grip uses new rubber to reduce slippage. It’s a stable platform, even with telephoto lenses, and was clearly designed for working photographers.
Controls are laid out much like the EOS R3, with two control dials, a rear dial, joystick, mode switch and many customizable buttons. It has matching vertical controls, with the same layout in portrait and landscape modes.
Canon did add a touch-sensitive IR button called the smart controller, which offers three ways to adjust autofocus. Overall, the R1 handles like an F1 car — fast and reactive, but there's a steep learning curve.
The viewfinder is Canon’s best yet with 9.44 million dots, 0.9 times magnification and 3x brightness, all tops in the EOS series. The rear display fully articulates for high- and low-angle shooting.
Canon decided to ditch SD cards in favor of two CFexpress type B slots. That allows for maximum RAW burst speeds, as well as fast and reliable backups, but you'll end up throwing your SD card collection out the window. By contrast, Sony's R1 has dual card slots for both SD UHS II and CFexpress type A.
The R1 uses a variant of the battery from the EOS R3 that supports up to 650 shots and 70 minutes of 6K video on a charge. Connectivity is the best I’ve seen on any Canon camera, with Wi-Fi 6E, ethernet, USB-C PD and more.
The R1 is built for action and suffice to say, it’s fast. In blackout free electronic shutter mode, you can shoot JPEG and RAW frames at up to 40 fps for a long while before the massive buffer fills — with Canon promising "1,000 or more" shots when shooting uncompressed RAW and JPEG files. It hits 12 fps with the mechanical shutter, a feature missing on Nikon’s rival Z9.
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The latter isn’t usually necessary, though, as the stacked shutter largely eliminates rolling shutter distortion.
Canon is bringing numerous autofocus improvements as well. With regular single-point tracking, you can change the target with either the joystick or smart controller. In addition, the R1 has a new eye-tracking system called Eye AF II, a more sophisticated version of its Eye Control AF from the R3.
As with the R3, you must calibrate Eye AF II first. And it won’t necessarily function well for all eye types, but it worked great for me, as the tracking box followed my gaze with less drift than before. That didn’t always translate to sharp photos, but again, I was using a pre-production unit.
Of course the R1 offers face- and eye-detection for both humans and animals. But what happens if you’re trying to single out someone in a crowd of players?
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First off, there are now AI modes for three specific sports, volleyball, basketball and soccer. The idea is that the system will track action around the ball to help you nail key shots. It’s also supposed to stay locked on a player even in traffic. Finally, you can register up to 10 faces to keep track of a whole team of athletes.
How well does this work? It’s hard to say in the short time I had the camera, but I didn’t notice a dramatic improvement with chaotic action or specific sports. But these features require time to master, so a full review will tell me more.
Another new feature to help pros avoid missing shots is pre-continuous shooting, something that's seen on many high-end cameras these days. The R1 starts taking photos when you half-press the shutter button, recording up to the last 20 frames once it’s fully pressed.
Canon has led the way in image stabilization since the R5, and the R1 offers a solid 8.5 stops of shake reduction with supported lenses. This isn’t necessarily a great benefit for action shooting, but it does help with landscapes or low-light shooting.
Canon likely anticipated complaints about the relatively low 24-megapixel resolution. In response, it unveiled a new feature called in-camera upscaling. It uses deep learning to quadruple image size to 96 megapixels in-camera after shooting, supposedly while maintaining apparent resolution.
This is different from Sony's pixel-shift scheme that takes multiple separate photos and merges them into one. However, it was hard to get a straight answer from Canon as to how exactly the upscaling works. Obviously, it can’t be a true resolution increase without actually capturing extra pixels.
Image quality is difficult to judge in pre-production cameras, and Canon specifically said that in-camera RAW processing was a work in progress. Nonetheless, JPEGs looked sharp out of the camera and had the company’s typically excellent skin tones.
Low-light image quality is a selling point of this camera, and it did appear to perform well at high ISOs, with decent image quality at ISO 12,800 and beyond. However, it’s no Sony A7S III at very high ISOs, so the max of ISO 102,400 is for emergency use only.
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Stacked sensor cameras tend to sacrifice some dynamic range in favor of speed, but there’s no sign of that with the R1. However, I'll need more time to get a full idea of RAW image quality, particularly at high ISOs.
Though mainly aimed at photographers, the R1 is potentially a monster video camera on its own. It lacks the R5 II’s 8K feature, but does offer 6K Canon RAW video at up to 60 fps, using the full width of the sensor.
You also get fully oversampled full-sensor 4K at up to 60fps, or 4K pixel-binned or cropped at 120 fps. Full HD can be recorded at up to 240 fps, either cropped or with pixel-binning. On top of Log 3, Canon’s Log 2 is now supported with 10-bit capture.
Canon has significantly reduced its previous overheating issues, though they're not completely eliminated. You can record more than 120 minutes of 6K 60p RAW with proxy recording, as well as 4K 60p, with no restriction for 4K 30p. The primary limitation is 15 minutes for 4K 120p, but that shouldn’t be an issue for most videographers or content creators.
As you’d expect, the oversampled 4K 60p and 6K 60p RAW video is sharp. Canon’s RAW video is very easy to work with in post and with the Log 2 setting delivers extra dynamic range and latitude in post.
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It’ll be interesting to see how pro photographers react to Canon’s new flagship. They do gain an extra 10 fps in RAW shooting speeds over Sony’s A1 and the Nikon Z9, and the sensor is solid in low light. The downside, though, is the fact that it offers half the resolution of its rivals.
The Eye AF II is an interesting gimmick that may give Canon an edge. Other features like face-memorization, sports-specific AF and cross action seem good on paper, but I wasn’t able to get the most out of them in the short time I had the camera — so further testing is required. The EOS R1 is set to arrive in the fall of 2024 with an estimated price of $6,300.
Canon paid for this contributor's travel and accommodation for the launch of its new cameras in Phoenix, Arizona. This article was produced independently for Engadget, with no oversight from Canon.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/canon-r1-hands-on-incredible-speed-but-24mp-resolution-may-disappoint-100044085.html?src=rss